Huron Valley prison for women stops routine strip search described as "sexually humiliating" [View all]
Source: MLive.com
Huron Valley prison for women stops routine strip search described as "sexually humiliating"
Published: Monday, April 16, 2012, 10:45 AM Updated: Monday, April 16, 2012, 11:17 AM
By Melissa Anders | manders@mlive.com
The Michigan Department of Corrections has stopped a particular body cavity search on female prisoners that inmates and human rights groups have described as degrading and unhygienic.
Inmates at Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti were subject to a strip search after each contact visit with family, friends, attorneys, religious workers and others. In addition to a standard strip search, the women were required to sit on a chair and use their hands to spread their genitals, allowing a guard to visually search for any hidden contraband.
The American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the MDOC on Thursday, demanding for a “decisive end” to the practice. In addition to the ACLU, it was signed by 34 human rights, health, legal and religious organizations and individuals.
The ACLU said the searches are no more thorough than standard strip searches and that they exacerbate trauma and mental illnesses, especially among prisoners who have been sexually abused.
Read more: http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/michigan_female_inmate_strip_search.html
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